I've always been told to never reach into a garbage disposal, for obvious reasons, but always seem to drop items in that I don't want to risk ruining the blades with by grinding them. Is there a tool(s) that can be used to efficiently retrieve items from a disposal?

Whatever you decide to use, unplug the garbage disposal first if possible, or turn off the circuit breaker it is connected to. This makes absolutely sure it can't be accidentally turned on. It is the same principle taught in shop class before changing the blades on the table saw and is well worth the extra few seconds of effort.

the difference with the saw in shop class is that in a crowded environment, especially half full of young people who'd rather be doing anything rather than paying attention, your danger of a bumped switch is greatly increased. You're still in no danger if the switch is off. Important disclaimer: My post above is NOT meant to be the end-all be-all of electronic advice, but it is practical advice for disposals. There are MANY other times when care must be greatly elevated when messing with electronics.
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DinahSep 12 '10 at 0:47

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Obviously, there is NO harm in following Michael's advice. I just find it excessive.
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DinahSep 12 '10 at 0:49

If someone knows more about electricity and knows, say, that a lightning storm or some other factor could cause a sufficient boost of electricity to bypass the switch, please share. I really don't want to be unsafe!
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JustRightMenusSep 11 '10 at 4:25

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@JustRightMenus: Yea, I reach in all the time too. The whole circuit breaker thing is excessive. Any such surge would have likely flipped the breakers or fried your fuses. It's not as "safe" as unplugging it obviously, but I'd bet you're more likely to get in a car accident than have a freak garbage disposal accident.
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hobodaveSep 11 '10 at 4:35

The more likely thing is for someone to not realize you have your hand in it and bump the switch. There is a woman who lives a block from me who lost several fingers in a garbage disposal, though I've never asked her exactly how it happened.
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Michael at HerbivoraciousSep 11 '10 at 5:40

With the switch, you're right there if someone comes up to you -- with the circuit breaker, it's not in the same room, so there's a chance of someone coming in and flipping it on because you shut off power to something else. (at least in my old house -- I'm not sure about the disposal, but some of the outlets in the kitchen are on the same circuit as two of the bedrooms).
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JoeSep 11 '10 at 11:21

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@Michael at Herbivoracious: A good piece of tape over the switch, holding it in the off position, will help protect against accidents.
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derobertOct 1 '10 at 19:21

Seriously though, practically speaking, the disposal is physically incapable of turning itself on or causing you damage when it is off. It is turned on by a switch (like a light switch). What happens when you flick the switch is that a circuit is completed -- this is what turns it on. When the circuit is incomplete, electricity cannot travel to the disposal. In theory, a strong enough electric surge could theoretically "arc" and act momentarily as though the switch were on, thus closing the circuit. However, in practice, this would (as Hobodave mentioned) either fry your fuse (causing it to not come on), fry your disposal (causing it to never come on again), or throw your circuit breaker (causing it to not come ever again on until you reset the breaker).

(Any electronics people, please forgive the simplicity of the above. I am intentionally trying only to convey the practical truth and am trying to avoid the full lecture on electronics.)

This is not to say that there couldn't be something dangerous in this dark tight space (like a blade, or broken glass) but this is always a potential concern. If you're careful and slow, there is no danger to reaching in as deep as your hand will allow into a disposal. The first time you do it, you will get the willies when you feel those disposal blades, but be careful and you'll be perfectly safe to do this by hand. If your hand is not small enough to fit into the opening, find someone whose hand is small enough. The space down there is tight and oddly shaped. I have thin hands which have been down there way too many times and I can promise that there is likely no tool which can navigate the weird angles and retrieve your lost item.